During the TPP project, we undertook to carry out microplastics concentration measurements of the Ipoly, the Rába, the Bükkös stream and the Danube

Tiny Plastic Puzzle launched

Microplastics are increasingly present in nature and pose a major environmental, food safety and health risk. WESSLING Hungary Kft. has decided to measure the microplastics content of surface waters in Hungary! Solving the Tiny Plastic Puzzle could be the first step towards the solution of a global problem.

The objective of the Tiny Plastic Puzzle (TPP) project is not to cause panic, but to draw attention to the increasingly serious problem of microplastics.

On the page above, a so far unique database was created that fills a gap, collecting the most important pieces of information and, at the same place, the results of the microplastics measurements of our surface waters are published continuously.

Last year’s measurements of the environmental testing laboratory of WESSLING Hungary Kft., which launched, manages and finances the Tiny Plastic Puzzle, on the river Tisza, and this year’s measurements in Lake Tisza in connection with other projects unfortunately confirmed the assumption that there is a significant amount of microplastics in the Tisza, similarly to other European waters.

Therefore, this year, during the TPP project, they undertook to carry out microplastics concentration measurements of the Ipoly, the Rába, the Bükkös stream and the Danube (in the case of the latter, measurements will be carried out both above and below Budapest). These results, together with the already available Tisza data, will give us a more complete picture of how tiny plastics threaten our environment.

In the Microknowledge column of the mikroműanyag.hu site, experts have gathered the most important information on plastics, the hazards associated with them, determined the definition of microplastics, collected the results of foreign and domestic research, created a relevant glossary (Microdictionary), and a video and picture collection (Microfilm).

Thus, interested visitors will not only find measurement results there, but can broaden their knowledge of the topic with up-to-date information. The importance of the project is shown by the fact that the work of the Tiny Plastic Puzzle is supported with professional advice by the General Directorate of Water Management, and the initiative is also backed by the Hungarian Water Utility Association.

TPP is also supported by the PET Cup, the first and perhaps the only initiative in the world to tackle environmental pollution by using pollutants. And the Center of Scientific Wonders, the first interactive scientific playground of Hungary will display the results of the TPP in the science-promoting center as part of a large-scale exhibition.

Results of the Tiny Plastic Puzzle, also registered as a trademark by the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, will be presented at the WESSLING Knowledge Center in Újpest in the fall during a conference, but until then, it is worth visiting the mikromuanyag.hu site often, where we can solve the Tiny Plastic Puzzle together!